This is Flight

Check out our favourite photos of 2021 here: facebook.com/thisisflight.n…

The Frecce Tricolori's 2025 domestic display dates have been published. thisisflight.net/2025/01/13/fre…

4/4 RIAT Last but by no means least for me this year was RIAT! Those visiting Friday-Sunday were treated to additional flypasts or displays by variously: F-4 Phantoms, an SF-5, a Mirage 2000, a Harrier, USAF U-2s, as well as more modern hardware such as the Qatari F-15QA

3/4 Antidotum Leszno Consistently the best airshow in Europe, the first day was rained off halfway through, despite the Swiss Super Puma and Polish C-130 flying through the driving rain. Notable also for the debut of A-26 Million Airess, and the final ever Swedish SK-60 display

2/4 RAF Cosford Airshow Not a classic, and the weather tried its best to disrupt the flying, but when I got some last-minute time off work I seized the opportunity to see two French Mirage 2000s tearing up the dark skies over Shropshire!

Seeing some great 2024 round up posts has led me to reflect on some of my photography this year. My new job has kept me busy, especially on weekends, so I'll be sharing 4 from each of the 4 airshows/events I visited this year, starting with the Saudi Grand Prix, in Jeddah

Today's the day that we replace our 2024 airshow calendar with 2025's dates! 337 airshows in 31 countries are already listed (more to be added as they are announced). thisisflight.net/2025-global-ai…

And here we are: the #1 spot. 1. John Romain, Spitfire XIV, Shuttleworth Family Airshow. I think this may have been the best warbird solo display I've ever seen. In the most perfect weather, at the most perfect flying display venue. This wasn't an airshow; this was art.

2. HRV MiG-21bis D, AirVG. High, distant, backlit... not the greatest display of all time. But fully aerobatic! 100x better than the straight-and-level flypast I'd expected. Witnessing the last airshow performance by a military-operated MiG-21 in Europe was a dream come true.

3. SwAF SK 60 & Alpha Jets, Antidotum Airshow Leszno. This one-off, fully-aerobatic 3-ship sequence was a complete surprise! The SK 60 then performed a balletic solo display - its last public appearance before retirement. More Leszno magic. Footage from our PlanesTV coverage.

4. The grand finale, Thunder Over the Heartland. The biggest firework display that I've ever seen at an airshow, aerobatics from a pyrotechnic-laden Super Chipmunk and a 1,500ft-long wall of fire, ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Woah.

5. A-26C "Million Airess", Antidotum Airshow Leszno. Leszno was honoured to be the only airshow appearance of its European tour, and Saturday's sunset performance was especially memorable. Footage from our PlanesTV coverage. Just the top 4 left; coming tomorrow!

6. Italian C-27J Spartan, RIAT. This has always been extraordinary, but this year, a proper loop and half cuban were added to the routine. I didn't know that, and anticipated the usual sequence; I was appropriately astonoshed when it looped! Footage from our PlanesTV coverage.

7. SwAF Historic Flight J 35J Draken, Midlands Air Festival. A new non-aerobatic sequence devised to suit UK regs for overland airshows, but I actually preferred it to the Draken's normal aerobatic routine. Comfortably the most powerful classic jet display I've seen lately.

8. BBMF Lancaster, Shuttleworth Family Airshow. I've long wanted to see the Lancaster flying "round the bend" at Shuttleworth. The fact it was the BBMF's first weekend back on the circuit following May's tragic accident added real poigiency to the occasion.

9. Helitow, Antidotum Airshow Leszno. A performance 4 years in the making: hundreds of hours of scientific studies, training, paperwork and even a specially-modified glider, all for a one-off ~4 minute performance. It was worth it! Footage from our PlanesTV coverage.

10. Krila Oluje, AirVG. This modest, underappreciated group is easily one of the most impressive national teams out there, notable for their formation negative-G and mirror formation flying and a remarkable 3-ship tailslide! This was my first time seeing them in decent weather.

11. Aerosparx, Antidotum Airshow Leszno. It was a foregone conclusion that this would make the list - again. With ground-launched pyro and a live orchestra, this was a piece of Leszno magic; there's real emotion in my voice at the end. Footage from our PlanesTV coverage.

12. Turbo Firecat, Jersey International Air Display. This was the flying display debut of A3A's Turbo Firecat, the first privately-operated example in France. Appearing to be borderline aerobatic at times, it made quite an impression! Footage from our PlanesTV coverage.

The USAF Viper Demonstration Team has released a 2025 schedule. thisisflight.net/2024/12/10/usa…

The USAF's F-35A Lightning Demonstration Team will perform in the USA, Canada, Mexico, France and India this year. thisisflight.net/2024/12/10/usa…